Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said today’s youth hates “instability and anarchy” and announced the coming decade will mark the development of a nation driven by the capabilities of young people.
Speaking during his 60th edition of monthly public addresses, on Sunday, the prime minister said: “In the coming decade, young India will play a key role. Today's youth believes in the system and also has an opinion on a wide range of issues. I consider this to be a great thing. What today's youth dislikes is instability, chaos, nepotism".
Obliquely referring to massive protests by university students against the Citizenship Act, Modi said youth today hates “instability and anarchy”.
The statement comes at a time when students and young people are leading protests questioning the constitutionality of the recent amendments to the Citizenship Law that are largely being viewed as discriminatory for favouring only non-Muslim immigrants.
“I believe the coming decade for India will not only be for the development of the youth but also the development of the nation driven by capabilities of the youth", the prime minister said further.
Remembering the 19th century Hindu monk and philosopher Swami Vikekananda, Modi said youth is synonymous with “dynamism and energy”.
“Today's youth thinks beyond issues of caste and wish to do a lot for the country", the prime minister continued.
This last edition of the address was broadcast on the entire network of national radio and TV channel All India Radio and Doordarshan respectively besides the Narendra Modi App.
Among other issues, he also mentioned the "HIMAYAT" initiative, a unique skill development and employment related measure in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The initiative targets people in the Jammu and Kashmir region between the ages of 15-35 who've dropped out of school or college for some reason.
In his previous "Mann Ki Baat" address on 24 November, Modi announced the launch of the "Fit India School Grading System" in schools across the nation.
Protests against the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed National register of Citizens (NRC) have been raging across India for weeks now, with students from various universities leading the demonstrations. In several parts of the country, the rallies have turned violent, as protesters have damaged public properties, and reportedly hurled stones at police, prompting officers to intervene.
The CAA grants citizenship to illegal immigrants from six religious minorities – Hindus, Parsis, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan if they arrived in India prior to 31 December 2014, but doesn't extend to Muslims.
The Muslim community claims that the law is discriminatory - something Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly rejected.
